Watch this music from 2:36 to the end!
This is what played in my mind while writing some scenes in this chapter. I won't say where. You tell me at the end where you could connect the music haha
Also my mind thinks faster than I could type and this chapter is long, so if you find any spelling/grammar mistakes just let me know :)
*** Sruthi ***
The court remained silent for a couple of seconds before the bishop turned towards the Queen and continued.
"Miss. Vaishanvi, is it true that there is a young girl in the Queen's cabinet?" he questioned.
"Yes sir," the Queen answered.
I know where this is going....
"And is it true that you tried to get her educated and even allowed her to forgo all her maid duties?" he continued.
"That's true," the Queen nodded.
"How did that go?" he questioned.
Naina and I exchanged looks feeling extremely guilty for not even doing the bare minimum to support the Queen when she tried to get Pallu educated.
"She...she ran away sir," the Queen replied.
"Ran away?" the Bishop smiled as a harsh reminder of the dire consequences of what we considered Pallu's innocent acts can have.
The King immediately glared at the Bishop, his eyes looking like that of an angry god who would burn the world down should he loose control, but quickly got himself under control by diverting his gaze to the Queen.
"So Miss. Vaishnavi," the bishop concluded, "We have two women, who have all the resources, time, and support to get educated and both of them chose to run away?"
"Sir, there are many young boys in the court today who skipped Gurukul," the Queen countered immediately and I thought that was a wise reply until I noticed the king subtely close his eyes for a fraction of a second expressing disappointment.
"32 to be exact Miss. Vaishnavi," the rook jumped back in. "And the number of gurukul going boys is 23,478 in the capital alone, making this a 0.00136% probability. On the other hand, the number of women who refused education is....." he paused as if he realized that continuing it would be a risk.
"100%" the bishop continued on his behalf making the demon king sign in frustration.
I thought I was the only one who is too dumb to understand what's going on until the general signed and whispered "Oh Adi! Just kill the intellectuals and make your wife the winner. Am too tired for the intellectual debate of silence."
"No sir, 66.6%," the Queen replied, "3 women were given the chance to study. You forgot to include me. Taking by your own statistics, not mine, two women ran away, sure! Yet the third women not only got educated, but loved it so much, that she spends almost all of her free time in the library reading books....written by some of the greatest minds in the Nine Kingdoms, one of which is 'Impeccable Judgements - A guide' written by Mr. Vishnu Gupta....which states and I quote, 'Any initiative where the expression of interest is more than 10% should be carefully considered before disregarding because it is a likely possibility that the success of that 10% influences the interest of the remaining 90%, potentially changing the statistics by a huge margin.'
The intellectuals fell silent. The King immediately turned his gaze to the general, as if he himself was surprised by the Queen's words, and wants to see if the general shares the same sentiment.
The general slightly widened his eyes and nodded indicating that he surely does!
"Why is no one challenging that quote?" I stupidly asked.
"Because Vishu Gupta is the demon king's pen name," the general whispered back.
"The expression of interest rate for my petition is 33.3% sir," the Queen added, "and the success rate is a 100%."
"Apologies Miss. Vaishavi," the rook said respectfully, "That will not be considered a valid statistic. I had access to the library records, and while I admire the diversity of your knowledge, and your love for reading. You are an exception, not the norm."
"I attest to that," the King commented, "It is not a valid statistic, Miss. Vaishnavi. One person is neither a sample, nor a representative, especially not if that one person is as exceptional as yourself."
"Well then, that is the whole argument, your highness," the Queen said and turned back to the intellectuals. "I am not a representative, because I am exceptional, agreed!"
"But then, sir," she told the Rook, "the two women you previously mentioned are not good representatives either. One of them is a 15 year old kid, who has never seen any women study and the other is a young girl whose interest lies in the artform of Kathak."
The general and Naina looked at each other surprised at how the Queen knew about their relationship. Naina always mentioned about wanting to learn Kathak but never once did she tell the Queen who her brother is!
Nanda quickly glanced at the King as well who looked equally surprised.
"Since both the statistics are invalid," the Queen continued, "It brings me back to my petition again. Allow women to get educated, and let the numbers decide the scale."
The intellectuals did not have an answer.
Naina was the first one to clap for the Queen and was followed by Veer, me and a few others. The general remained neutral.
"Clap!" I demanded.
"I cannot," he shook his head, "I offered my protection. I am oblidged to remain neutral for the time being."
"That is a valid point Miss. Vaishavi," the rook replied. "No further arguments, your highness," he said turning to the King. "I surrender," he added and put his stamp on the paper before giving the Queen a genuine smile of appreciation and sitting down.
"Yes!" I heard the general whisper in joy.
I hoped the King and Queen would look at each other and exchange a smile but they continued to remain professional.
"Anyone else wishing to take the stand?" the King asked and the bishop tried to stand but the demon king stopped him and signalled the Knight to take the lead.
"Miss. Vaishnavi, while numbers and statistics give a good idea, they often do not accurately represent reality," he stated, "Would you agree or disagree to that statement?"
"I refuse to comment on that without further information, sir," the Queen replied.
The Knight nodded.
"What is your definition of education, Miss?" he asked.
"Pursuit of knowledge and skill, that would either do good to the world, bring joy to the heart, or both if one is fortunate." the Queen replied.
"Would you consider cooking, cleaning, and other household chores under that category, Miss?" the Knight asked.
"Amongst many others, yes," the Queen replied choosing her words, carefully.
"As someone who has never been to Gurukul, would you consider yourself any less educated than someone who chose the conventional path?" he questioned.
"No sir, I don't," the Queen replied.
"Your highness, with your premission, I would like bring my daughter for questioning," the knight said turning to the King, "She is 14, so as her father I am willing to give the consent on her behalf."
"You may," the king replied and the knight turned back and signalled the girl in the front row to stand up.
"Beta, at what age did I first start teaching you?" he asked.
"5, father," she replied.
"And what are all the things I taught you?" he asked.
"Mathematics, music, and fundamentals of debate," she replied.
"You can test her should you wish, Miss. Vaishnavi," the Knight said turning back to the Queen. "My daughter may not have conventional education, she may not know how to read, but she can solve every mathematical problem that an average boy of her age could. She can debate better than most adults and sing so beautifully that it would bring the greatest singers to shame. Yet the numbers do not represent that." "The point I am trying to make is, miss," he continued, "Education doesn't have to be conventional and we men are not evil. There are many fathers and brothers who try to pass their knowledge to their little girls."
"But...."
"Respectfully miss, I am not done yet," the knight interrupted the Queen.
"Hold back," the King commanded slightly extending his hand taking the knight's side and the Queen patiently waited for him to continue.
"One might argue that this is only the case for elite," the Knight continued, "but I would beg to differ. I know of little girls who help their fathers make gold, knit clothes, teach dance, and even cut wood, but I am afraid these might not be visible from the high walls of the palace."
"Done talking, counsellor?" the King asked after giving a minute to make sure that he is indeed done. A subtle annoyance in his voice visible to those who keenly observe, despite his best efforts to sound calm and neutral.
The Knight insulted his wife after all....
The general's protection is apparently that powerful, huh?
"Yes, your highness," the Knight replied.
"Miss. Vaishavi, you may speak," the king said turning to the Queen.
"First of all sir," the Queen started, "Never did I ever explicitly or implicitly term men as evil. In fact, it is my husband's love, compassion, and intellectual way with words that shaped me from being a living corpse to a women who appreciates and cherishes every moment of her existence."
I looked at the King and noticed the happiness in his eyes although his demeanor still remained very neutral.
I should probably note these words down and say them when I win the chess championship...no wait....I am giving stupid Kanda too much of credit....it is my father who taught me chess!
"Not to mention," the Queen continued, "the support I got from my white knight and my god gifted brother who stood by my side even if the world was against me, even if I myself was against me," she added looking at the general with gratitude in her eyes and the general smiled back.
"You yourself are an example of one great father," she added making me wonder why is she not yet confronting him about calling her previledged.
This rude man needs to be told off not honoured!
"I hope this does not have any intended sarcasm, Miss. Vaishnavi?" the knight said still remaining neutral.
The general was right about these people being bastards!
"I meant it from the bottom of my heart, sir," the Queen answered. "You did your best to educate your daughter," she added, "Although I wonder what would happen if she expresses her interest in something that you are not familiar with, like science, for example."
"I will learn it and teach her," the knight immediately replied.
"You are a busy man," the Queen countered.
"I will always find time for my daughter," came the reply.
"How will you study?" the Queen asked.
"There are plenty of books in the library," the man argued.
"And how will your daughter study?" the Queen asked.
"Well I will go home and...." the knight paused falling short of words.
"....teach her after you learn it yourself?" the Queen completed on his behalf. "Let me rephrase it sir," she continued, "Your want to learn science? You go to a library, pick a book and learn. Your daughter wants to learn science? She has to inform you, wait for you to learn, while also managing your daily works, and come then back home to teach her.....in your free time." "And sir, that is the case, for a girl, with a loving, open minded father who also happens to be one of the smartest men in the Nine Kingdoms. Not all of us have that, sir." "Some of us have fathers who abandoned us, fathers who see girl's education as an objection to their traditional values, and majority of us have fathers who have every intention to help but cannot either due to restrains of time, or simply because they do not have the knowledge themselves."
"Sir, the Nine Kingdoms is blessed with a King who thinks about his people every single moment of his existence," the Queen continued, "We have righteous people in positions of power. People who strive to ensure equality, and balance of wealth....which is why our little boys get all the support they ever need in terms of education and development. They are walking on a path of flowers."
"Our girls on the other hand," she continued, "are walking on stones, if they are previledged, and on glass pieces if they are not." "This is not something that I saw from the walls of the high palace sir," she added, "But from the darkness of a house so tiny that I didn't even know cooking and sleeping needs to be done in separate rooms and that it is possible for one to sleep with their legs extended."
The crowd fell silent and my eyes slighty teared up as I imagined how horrible the Queen's childhood might've been.
"All I am saying is," the Queen said her voice slightly breaking at the end but getting back to normal the moment the King slightly squeezed her hand, "The feet of our little girls are as delicate as that of our little boys. Please allow them to walk on flowers too."
"She is right," the pawn finally spoke after remaining silent all this while. "We were being unreasonable," he said turning towards the rest of the intellectuals taking them all by surprise.
"I surrender, your highness," he said turning back to the King and stamping the paper infront of him, "All the best, Miss. Vaishnavi."
"That's cute," I commented with a smile and the general slightly pulled up his sword.
"Or not," I corrected and the sword went back in again.
"I surrender as well, your highness," the knight said and stamped the paper infront of him.
The crowd cheered louder this time all the women rigorously clapping, even the women in the front row, even the girl who just stood up, even the guarding soldiers, and even the little kids.
All rooting for our Queen to win!
It's astonishing how the tables have turned!
"Silence!" The King commanded after patiently waited for a few minutes. "Appreciate the enthusiasm," he calmly commented, "But please wait until the debate is concluded."
"The intellectuals have the stand," he said turning to the intellectuals table.
Only the Demon King and Bishop left to take the stand.
The Demon King stood up.
Finally!
"First of all, Miss. Vaishavi, that was commendable," he genuinely appreciated.
"Thank you sir," the Queen smiled. Her eyes filled with great admiration and respect.
"Do you believe that all the women who cheered for you in the court today, would be willing to visit the gurukul tomorrow?" he asked.
"I do not envision that, sir, no," the Queen replied.
"Why is that so?" the demon asked.
"There are a lot of duties and responsibilities that they are currently bound to, sir," the Queen replied, "A significant amount of stratergic time management and support from the family would be required before commencing the education."
"So you do agree that getting education is harder for women in comparision to men?" the demon asked, "due to circumstances that are a result of years of customs and traditions."
"I acknowledge that sir, yes," the Queen replied.
"And do you aspire for a society where men and women are given equal opportunities for jobs as well?" he asked.
"God willing, yes sir," the Queen answered.
"If I were to say that women entering jobs and earning money like men would require adjustments from both genders, in terms of household responsibilities and childcare, would you agree with that?" he asked.
The Queen nodded.
"And why Miss. Vaishnavi, should we put our people through this burden of adjustment," the demon continued, "When in your own words, most men are not evil? What is so wrong about the present way that the society is functioning that we need to force a change? Why is it wrong for women to take care of the household and for men to go out and provide for the family?"
The Queen fell silent.
"...Unless..." the Demon continued, "You see the work that is currently being done by the women as less or insignificant."
The Queen did not speak a word, taken aback by the sudden statement. I looked around and noticed that some of the crowd seemed to be influenced too, especially given that the demon is the only one from intellectuals who looked like he spoke from the heart.
Hell, even I am slightly tempted to switch sides.
Why bother being educated and going to a job when I can be the great general's wife, spend time all day with my children and wait for my husband's return in the evening and yes...isn't chasing man's duties in pursuit of being felt worthy a form of disrepect to the women's duties.....
I looked up to once again to notice the expressions of the King and Queen.
The King for the first time looked a little tensed and the Queen looked down at the table engrossed in thoughts as if the Demon confused her entire thought process.She lightly touched the King's hand for a brief second before finally deciding to speak.
(The reason she did that is because, when in doubt Adi told her to ask the God in her heart, and since she cannot do that infront of everyone, she touched Adi's hand because in her eyes, Adi is just as divine)
"Do you have a daughter, sir?" she asked the demon.
"Yes, Miss. Vaishnavi," he replied.
"How old is she, sir?" the Queen asked.
"5," the demon replied.
"Is it alright, if I bring up a hypothetical question regarding her, sir?" the Queen asked.
"If it helps with the debate, sure," the demon replied and the Queen turned towards the king
"Noted," the King commented, "You can bring up the girl, Miss. Vaishanvi but do not mention her name."
The Queen nodded before turning towards the demon again.
"I wish for this to never happened, sir," the Queen said outloud, "But if....hypothetically, your daughter ends up getting married, to one of those minority of evil men, and he starts tormenting her, what would you do?"
"The same thing that your white knight would do for you, Miss. Vaishnavi," the demon replied, "Confront the man!"
"I wish to bring in my white knight, for questioning," the Queen stated.
"You agree, general?" the King asked.
"Yes, your highness," the general replied and stepped forward.
"You may proceed," the King commented.
"Thank you, your highness and I apologize in advance for what I am about to say," the Queen said and turned towards the general.
"Nandu bhaiyya, my husband is the most powerful man in the Nine Kingdoms," the Queen said as if it is a conversation between a sister and her brother, "But in a hypothetical and impossible scenario, if I were to tell you that he is tormenting me and I do not wish to stay with him. What would you do?"
The general paused and thought for a while.
"If I were to go by my instincts, I would want to kill him Vaishu," he replied purposefully using the word Vaishu for the first time, perhaps to honor her wish of not being adressed as the Queen, "But I am well aware of the power and authroity he holds, not to mention his skills which would make me winning an almost impossible scenario. Hence I would take you, and go into hiding. Keep you happy and away from him until my last breath."
"Thank you, Nandu bhaiyya," the Queen said and turned towards the demon. "Would you do the same for your daughter, sir?" she asked.
"No, Miss. Vaishavi, I would not," the demon reluctantly replied.
"Why not, sir?" the Queen asked.
"The general is 4 years older than you, Miss. Vaishnavi," the demon commented, "and the King is 2 years older than you. There is a highly likely chance that your brother, your white knight would be able to take care of you for as long as your husband would be able to take care of you." "The same cannot be said about me and my daughter," he continued, "I am a 50 year old man, who had a daughter at the age of 45 merely due to the God's blessings. My little girl has no siblings either. I would be atleast 65 by the time she is married, and if I were to seperate her from her husband, I might give her the best life for the next 20 years, but soon she will be on the roads. Her tears seems to be the lesser of evil."
My heart cried for the man when I heard that statement and a part of me even felt, maybe the Queen shouldn't have asked that question.
"I apologize for asking this question and putting you through the pain, sir," the Queen genuinely apologized and remained silent for a while allowing for the heaviness of the atomosphere to calm down before finally speaking again.
"Respected sir," she asked, "Do you envision this to be the case if your little girl was educated? If she was well aware of the finances, and preservation of generational wealth? If she has the necessary skills and qualifications to find a job and provide for herself if need be? If she is not a mere dependent on her father or brother or husband but a women capable of taking care of herself in all regards?"
The demon king fell silent.
Everyone fell silent.
Why did this never occur to me?
Imagine we had a fight and stupid Kanda asks me to leave....where will I go? Pallu will close the door on my face, if I go back to my house....but if I continue working...I will have a room in the palace itself....and of course the entire Queen's cabinet will be behind me....and I wouldn't even have to ask stupid Kanda for money if I wish to go shopping.....and I can throw our kids in his lap and go out to relax....he wouldn't even be able to complain....because then...he wouldn't be the only one working.....
"There has been one lion attack in the North forest in the last 100 years," the Queen said outloud, "Yet there is no soldier or tribal who wouldn't take training and carry a weapon before entering the forest." "A significant proportion of men in the Nine Kingdoms are not evil, I agree," she continued, "But every women still needs to carry a weapon and that weapon is independence. Independence comes from the ability to learn, to navigate the world, to manage money, to be able to talk and survive and it is time our women are atleast given a chance to learn that."
The Demon remained silent in admiration but the bishop decided to still fight.
"What about us?" he asked, "What would our weapon be?"
"Learn to cook and clean sir," the Queen countered, "Learn to cook and clean! Perhaps that would allow the world to recognize that cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children are not just acts of love but actual jobs that require skill and effort."
The bishop fell silent.
"Education is every women's white knight!" the Queen said as her concluding statement, "Every women's Nandu bhaiyya! It is a fundamental right that we all deserve, not a previledge that we should be fighting for and if it creates disturbances for a few years, so be it. The pain would be very very insignificant in comparision to the happiness and prosperity of the hundreds of generations of women and men that are going to step into this great land!"
The moment the Queen finished that statement, the hall errupted with cheers and loud claps. So loud that everyone looked back to see if it was real.....so loud that the soldiers struggled to push back the crowd that was loosing control. So loud that the general himself had to hurrily give orders, change commands, and disperse additional soldiers just to keep the crowd under control.
So loud that even the bishop's surrender went unnoticed and when I turned back I noticed a smile on every women's face, every female heart bemaing with joy, every female voice cheering for their Queen, every female hand clapping for her victory, and every female eye waiting to see their Queen win!
My eyes almost teared up and I turned my attention towards the Queen to see her reaction. Her eyes shifted from one end to another amazed at the overwhelmingly positive response and innconently looking around as if she hasn't said the most significant and impactful words ever....and while the entire world was rooting for her....she diverted her eyes towards her husband who also turned around to look at her.
The Queen's eyes are very expressive and every time she looks at the King, her eyes are filled with love, but today it was something else, devotion, maybe?
With tears in her eyes, she tightened the grip at the back of his hand and barely whispered, "Thank you..."
The King smiled back. His glorious eyes filled with pride and admiration for his Queen....his Vaishu....
THE VAISHNAVI ADINATH!
....because who is to say they are two different people....they are two hearts, one soul....two thoughts, one mind.....two lives, one purpose....
A divine purpose!
To bring beauty, righeousness, and innoncence back to this world and to show us what love is, what duty is, what joy is.....
Even the demon had to gracefully accept defeat in their presence as he looked back a couple more times, to see if the crowd would go silent, to see if he could speak a few words, but it never ended.
So finally he gave up and sighed with a smile. He then turned to the little girl sitting in the first row, probably his daughter and signalled her to come towards him. The girl enthusistically ran towards him but was stopped by Veer at the entrance.
Veer then turned towards the general as if asking for permission.
Oh Kanda is back to being by my side again! Good!
The general signalled that it's okay and Veer removed his hand, allowing for the girl to run towards her father. The demon....no....the head counsellor....lovingly led his daughter and made her stand infront of him.
He then held her little hand, made her hold the stamp and stamped the paper, accepting his surrender.
The little girl, then took the rolled paper and ran across to the King's table, her flowy gown, loose hair, and the sound of her anklets representing the freedom of the little girl residing in all of us.
She slightly lifted her toes,unable to reach the high walls of the King's table. Being the kind people that they are, the King and Queen got up, and stepped out. The King wanted to kneel down to the girl's level but the Queen held his hand and stopped him.
Instead she gracefully got down, took the girl in her arms and lifted her up to face the King.
The King smiled at the little girl, with utmost love, as if he is the kid's father as he extending his hand out in the cutest way possible. The girl did not know what to do, so the Queen took the girl's little hand and placed it in that of the King's mighty hand, giving him the note of surrender.
The cheers intensified.
"All hail the King!"
"All hail the Queen!"
The crowd repeatedly chanted in synchronization, however nothing seems to get into my ears, as I was lost in the trance of the three beautiful people infront of me looking like a perfect family.
I wonder if me and the general....my thoughts were paused when the general held my hand.
Surprised I looked down.
"You are repeatedly hitting my leg with your fingers, it's annoying," he commented.
Whatever, stupid Kanda!
Spoils everything!
***********
Phew finally done! I thought I comprehending my loose drafts would be an easy task but damn...that took so long. I should probably take a shower now to relax lol.
Also I actually teared up a little while writing certain scenes in this book, would you believe it?
Lots of love to y'all guys!!!
Will reply to your comments soon ❤️
Byee!!